IIT-Delhi plans complete curriculum revamp over a decade after; forms expert panel

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi is planning a complete curriculum revamp for all courses after over a decade, according to the institute's new Director, Rangan Banerjee.

While talking to PTI, Banerjee said that the knowledge and technology landscape is rapidly changing, and the curriculum must keep up, so IIT-Delhi has formed a panel to review the curriculum for all courses.

He claims that IITs have evolved from engineering institutions to full-fledged universities.

"To improve the student experience, we thoroughly review our curriculum. The exercise is being carried out after more than a decade. IITs have evolved from being primarily undergraduate and engineering institutions to full-fledged universities offering a diverse range of courses in recent years," he stated.

"We are attempting to provide challenges and opportunities for students to engage with the real world through our curriculum, so a complete overhaul was required. So, hopefully, we will see many changes in the coming year. We are currently conducting extensive consultations with faculty, students, and alumni," he continued.

Banerjee, a former professor at IIT-Bombay, stated that the knowledge and technology landscapes are rapidly changing and that the curriculum must keep up.

"The curriculum must evolve to be constantly relevant, and our classroom teaching and practical modules must reflect this," he said.

IIT Delhi has graduated approximately 54,000 students in various disciplines such as engineering, physical sciences, management, humanities, and social sciences since its inception.

"The curriculum review committee is working on a concept note, which each academic entity will use at the institute to evaluate its courses. We anticipate that our curriculum will be much more flexible due to the curriculum review. We have launched numerous new academic programmes, including those in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, cyber security, and electric mobility," he stated.

"Today's challenge is dealing with a generation of students with shorter attention spans. Classroom instruction cannot be the sole focus. We must require them to work on real-world projects for them to learn actual problem-solving skills," he concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)

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• Delhi
• IIT-Delhi
• New Delhi
• Rangan Banerjee